Archive for September, 2007

So, the Mrs. and I have been talking about getting a hamster or a guinea pig for Georgia. They make good "first pets" for a small child to take care of since they don't require much besides water, food, and a clean cage. So, after looking and doing some study, please welcome Gunner to the SaaM household Gunner the Guinea Funny thing, it was Georgia that suggested the name "'Cuz you like guns". I'm sure that's going to go over well in Pre-K. The pink haired girl's daddy likes guns.

'Cept in these cases *There are only four ex-marines living or dead: two are convicted spies (the only two marines ever convicted for betraying their country), one killed the president, and the other is a congressman.

But probably only because of the tone of voice In the case of the Virginia Tech rampage, a state-appointed commission of inquiry has come to the astonishing conclusion that better locks are needed on classroom doors and that troubled students should be more closely monitored. The Newark tragedy, since the killers have been identified and several turn out to be illegal immigrants, has produced renewed demands for harsher immigration regulations. Practically no one has raised any questions about...

A Google Image search for "Robb Allen" has me looking like Mathew McConaughey Nope. Tain't true ladies. I look more like Jerry Lewis (the younger years. Not the 748 pound years) But thanks anyway, Tanya!

It's okay to ban handguns as long as rifles and shotguns are permitted. The D.C. Circuit, for good reason, called that argument "frivolous." "It could be similarly contended," wrote Senior Judge Laurence Silberman, "that all firearms may be banned so long as sabers were permitted." After all, D.C. does not ban home possession of knives or hatchets. Does that justify the city's handgun ban? Could publication of cookbooks be barred under the First Amendment as long as restaurant guides were...

Handicapped man fends off thugs with gun In the serene sounding town of Christmas, with one prosthetic leg and another leg paralyzed, Holloway was no match for five men surrounding to rob him. "All the sudden they're kicking and beating on my car and hollering at me, 'We're gonna get you! 'We're coming to your house. We're gonna get you and after we kill you, we're gonna take everything you have,'" he said. .. Holloway said, when he went back, he had his pistol in his hand and, when they...

This is the attitude we need from our police officers. We -- as peace officers -- are not better than our fellow citizens, nor are we worse than our fellow citizens. We are not more equal, nor less equal, than our fellows, nor are we a better or lesser 'class' than they -- and to consider otherwise does a great dis-service to our profession and to the citizens relying on us.In order to do our jobs -- to follow our calling -- we must have the support of our fellow citizens. Those under our...

Local news you can use The St. Petersburg homeowner said he heard a noise like someone trying to pry open the door from garage into the house. He told police he was scared because there had been a lot of home invasions. He went to his bedroom and got a semiautomatic handgun from a closet, walked to the door and fired at least nine rounds into the door. Someone screamed, and then the homeowner heard a car peel out, authorities said. He opened the door and found a trail of blood and a gun on...

Being a Person of the Gun, I take pride in my armament. I was getting all my gear together for a photo op so I could have my picture on the PotG web site and decided to get the whole group together for a photo. (click for full size) Top is Sasha, my Mosin Nagant M44. Middle Left is the Dan Wesson .357 Magnum, to its right is the Ruger Mark III 22/45. Lower left, Glock 29 and the odd looking rifle is an Assault .22. That flash suppressor is deadly, I tell you and that black paint job helps when...

I finally found a workaround for a bug in some code we had. I'm the only one who understands the stuff and this needs to be in place before I leave to go take care of my mom. I just discovered a memory leak. $#@^&*

Tell that to this guy. This video appears to be an assassination attempt against a corrections officer. The perp pulls and fires, hitting the officer in the ankle. The officer pulls his concealed weapon and ends up killing the goblin. Let's look at the lessons here. First and foremost, it can happen anywhere. This guy was sitting on his front steps. Second, just because the thug gets the jump on you doesn't mean much. Shooting a gun isn't like the movies. You don't hit much when you just point...

Odds were definitely in his favor After looking at the .22, the clerk at A & J grocery on Kendall Street grabbed a .45-caliber semi-automatic gun and loaded a bullet into the chamber, police said. Granted, I carry with one in the chamber so there would have been no need for the delay, but honestly I'd risk a shot or two of .22 to pull my 10. Because honestly? I don't trust my Ruger to fire 90% of the time anyway with jams and duds as common as they are.

This comment cracks me up The reason gun nuts are the laughing stock of the sentient universe is that there is no more transparent intellectual dishonesty than that of pro-gun propaganda. Is it because if you were honest with everyone, you'd be forced to admit you all want guns because you're cowardly bullies consumed by crippling sexual inadequacy, and don't think anyone's life is worth more than your inconvenience? Who can blame you? That doesn't sound quite as noble as all the phony...

Gun at your side lessens your fear Sept. 25, 2007 12:00 AM Although I am not a rabid Second Amendment defender, I do have concerns about the increasing use of guns in crime. Many of us remember Khrushchev defending the lack of civil rights in the Soviet Union by stating that they may not have some freedoms but that they do have freedom from fear. Fear is a persistent emotion in our society. We fear "nukes," and we fear personal attacks in our streets and in our homes. I sort of feel that any...

Armed Canadian not only beat me to it, he made it much better Let's say there is a rash of "fire shoutings" in theatres. A bunch of kids are going to movies, shouting fire, creating panics and leaving in the rush. No one catches them and they are having a grand ole time laughing amongst themselves at the havoc they are creating. Movie ticket sales plummet. Patrons stay home. Movie theatres demand the government do something to curb this public health menace and save their declining revenue as...

The Liberty Sphere does a great job of picking out some good stories from the pro-rights blogs. I've meant to link but have been lazy, however it's a great resource if you want to see what's going on. Yeah, I'm in there, but you're already here so it's not like I'm ginning for links. Unless you come back. Then cha-ching! Wait, I don't have any advertisers. Damn.

As in, don't have a drink within X number of feet when watching this. Hat tip Tam, whom I bet is still laughing like I am. Update - the best comment from a coworker who saw this Zounds. So many Gators, so few tasers. :-) My FSU Alumni wife would appreciate that comment!

As you may or may not know, my wife is a former hoplophobe. Notice the word former. I am comfortable in saying she is no longer afraid of my guns. I'm not saying she's raring to go to the range (shooting still makes her nervous) and she's still dead set against getting a CCW and carrying herself, but she no longer has that irrational fear of guns. I can understand the shooting part - it's loud, snaps your wrist, and there's that danger of getting injured. At my last range visit, an older lady...

Next week my mother goes in for her surgery, so I'm flying up to Atlanta to take care of her for a week. Of course, my Glock 29 is going with me, and I'm even thinking about taking the Ruger for a little plinking. There's a range not too far from my mom's house, and since my aunt is going to be there as well, I'll have the opportunity to get out a bit. My mother even asked me to shoot her snub-nosed Rossi 38 special. Eeek. I hate that gun. It's like a Jack Russell terrier on crack. My mother,...

60,000 NRA members with an airplane? Not so bad. It would be pretty difficult to do the kind of damage that was done on Monday at Virginia Tech with a single-engine Cessna. That's even if I filled the tanks and flew it into a building -- say, the one where 60,000 NRA members are gathering in St. Louis for their annual meetings. Don't tempt me. Now, I see that as hyperbole and don't think for a minute that this guy is really suggesting killing 60,000 people. However, I have a distinct feeling...

If so, I'm not sure this isn't such a bad idea. There was a quote I found a while back and I can't remember where I saw it, but it was basically Intelligent, useful people do not exist in governmental jobs. If they were, they'd have been hired by private business. It's joking as there are some brilliant people in every career, but like Clayton, I don't think you can survive politics being honest for too long.

From my referral logs (post #37) Superfluous demagoguery. Explain to me then how a concealed weapon, ie a weapon that other people do not know you have, protects you from some one else with a gun or discourages any one from attacking you. A) I'd prefer to open carry myself. Cops rarely get attacked and for good reason. B) I'm not so concerned about discouraging as I am about being able to respond with overwhelming force. The movies always play to the extremes of reality when it comes to gun...

A buddy of mine and I were just discussing tasers. Tasers are one of two things I never want to experience. The other happens to be CS Gas. The memories of gas mask training in Marine Corps boot camp still cause me nightmares to this day. I do not say this as an exaggeration, but had someone handed me a loaded pistol during that event, I would not be here today. *shudder*

I have to assume the gunman in this story simply didn't see the sign telling him he was in a "Gun Free Zone" DOVER, Del. - Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, and the campus was locked down as police searched for a gunman, officials said How could this happen? I thought "Gun Free Zones" had a magical shield around them that prevented these kinds of tragedies! I mean from all the wishful thinking of the anti-rights crowd, one would...

The people you're trying to rob may be armed as well. Now, a few things jump out at me here, the most being that the lady and her child were awfully close to the shooter's line of fire. Of course, a camera distorts distances with it's focal length and single vantage point so the distance could be a lot further than it appears. The other thing that gets me is that supposedly the goblin brandished a gun and demanded money. If I was carrying my child I would have stepped as far away from the guy...

This article from Front Sight, Press hits home with me, especially since I've argued this point ad nauseam with other gunnies He confessed that he carries his concealed pistol (S&W M&P) with an empty chamber! He went on to say that he never chambers a round in his holstered handgun, because he has children, and it’s ‘just not safe to carry a loaded pistol near them.’ ‘Besides,’ he continued, ‘all I have to do is rack the slide. Then, I can shoot. Right?’ I asked him bluntly, ‘Who...

Silly me, I thought allowing a teacher to protect herself was the right idea, but alas I appear to be wrong What should she do? Easy enough...put a restraining order on her husband that will keep him away from the school. The teacher can check her gun in at the door and pick it up on the way out. Wow. Silly, silly me thinking that restraining orders don't always work. Of course, here's hoping she can even get one. And when she does, let's hope it doesn't actually fuel her ex's anger and make...

It isn't a gun free zone if you get shot The whole concept of a "Gun-Free Zone" is so laughable, yet millions of people buy into the idea that if you put up a sign, it will stop criminals in their tracks. Gun control is based on the same concept as "healing crystals" - that an inanimate object has some sort of magical properties that cause a human being to do things against their will. Most rational people laugh at the idea of chunks of pretty rocks having magical powers, but shape that rock...

Want a gun? Sign away all your privacy New gun buyers must sign waivers releasing their mental health records to state police under a new regulation that took effect quietly on August 1. It's a response to the killings at Virginia Tech in April. Yes, I have a major issue with this. Legally I am allowed to own firearms. I have never been committed or suffered through anything that would make me a danger to society by owning a gun. But my history of panic attacks would be all the excuse some...

Stacy nails it So, Sally Field thinks when mothers run the world there won't be any "goddamned war," eh? Just who the hell does she think raises all these suicide bombers? And a two-fer "Come back with your shield or on it," ring any bells?

Finished up my 1,000th 10mm reload today. I know it's the 1,000th because I'm out of primers now. Need to head over to Harborside Reloading to get some more. I also need .357 bullets and some Blue Dot powder, but those are going to have to wait. I'm low on the TiteGroup powder I used for the 10s. Since I generally loaded 6.4gr. I have a little left over (there are 7000 grains in a pound). I also used LongShot for a couple of batches, but I didn't like it as much. I'm going to try some other...

Just a quickie. People who call us gun nuts have never met us. Those who see us a redneck, right-wing militia members have never ever been to a gun range before and actually met the people they deride. The less exposed to firearms a person is the more they will parrot the standard the Brady Bunch line since they don't know any better. And those who refuse to go to a range or expose themselves to gun owners are willfully ignorant and weak, unintelligent people (who generally consider themselves...

Or is talking to Ron Paul supporters like getting a chain letter? Dear Friend, I am sending you this letter to let you know about Ron Paul and how he is the only man who can save America, and now, he is the only one who can save your life. I know it may sound crazy, but if you don't vote for Ron Paul, the government will track you down and fly a plane into your place of work. It's true! Post this on at least 5 blogs in the next hour and I guarantee you'll have 50,000 Ron Paul supporters show...

Ahh, the good 'ol Brady Blog. Just when you think there's nothing to talk about, Paul comes in and blurts out some PSH and you just have to respond. Paul bleats... The Review Panel appointed by Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine recently issued its recommendations that background checks on gun purchases be strengthened and “that guns be banned on campus grounds and in all buildings…” Earlier this week, I saw a short video clip that reinforced my agreement with this position. I was on Fox &...

Nancy needs a little help in understanding the Second Amendment. Will the real 2nd Amendment please stand up? Recent comments posted to this blog seem to proclaim a Constitutional right to affordable firearms for anyone who wants to shoot at anything. So I thought it might be a good idea to provide the actual language of the 2nd Amendment: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. I left her...

Seems like Robyn Ringler not only can't stand to have open debate on a specific topic, but now she has to water down the subject. Of course, the reasoning is just perfect As newly posted under my photograph, I can no longer accept comments. Reading so many abusive comments on this blog has taken its toll and I am no longer willing to undergo such [sic]harrassment. You want to see harassment Robin? Check out your buddy Alex's ("ILoveTrouserMuppetMoreThanYouLoveYourHoppe's#9") smears against...

Red's Trading Post has, quite possibly, the best deal I've ever seen on a handgun that I want. I can't afford it. Even at that ridiculously low price. So here is the deal...and what a deal it is. I am able to sell the Smith & Wesson 500 and 460 (also shoots 45 LC and 454 Casull) in the 2 3/4" barrel for $699 (my cost is usually nearly $200 more and MSRP is $1280) and on top of it S&W has a promotion where you get a free Wood Pellet Smoker with purchase. $700??!??!?!!!?!?! OMG!!!1ONE! I...

Someone with an open mind decides to talk to the "gun nuts". Ends up realizing we're not nuts at all. Contrary to my initial expectations of the "gun nuts" who presumably constitute what critics disparagingly refer to as "the cult of the gun in America," most members of "the gun culture" I’ve talked with are typical citizens. They live normal American lives, insofar as any of us is "normal." They have complex and sophisticated ideas about what guns do, what guns are for, and why guns are an...

It's something no man wishes to have to do, but to protect out children and wives we will kill when necessary. Last night was my time. Here is a picture of my adversary, before his demise. Not sure of your monitor size, but on my 19" at 1280x10234 resolution, it's close to actual size. I still have the heebie-jeebies

Man is critically wounded when gun discharges at shop A customer at a Parker County gun shop was critically wounded Tuesday morning when a handgun discharged as a store employee examined it, authorities said. Perry L. Cheatham, 69, of Weatherford was shot below his left eye, according to the Parker County Sheriff's Department. Let's recap shall me? Rule #2 - Never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy. In this case, it was the store employee not pointing the firearm in a...

I'm a proponent for open carry. Here in the Sunshine state, we're not allowed by our masters to do so, but it's something I think is about time to start pushing for. However, anywhere I see it come up, the idea is viscously attacked. The attacks come from two basic angles Fear - Many gun-toting Floridians believe that pushing for Open Carry will scare the sheep and cause us to actually lose the ability to exercise our rights freely. I think this is cowardice in the extreme as it assumes we only...

As we are constantly told, guns are dangerous items that cannot be entrusted to the common man. Too many people get hurt via firearms to allow unfettered access to them. We require background checks and restrictions for good cause. In doing so, we protect our country. The same thing should go for journalists, authors, and newscasters. These people are supposed to be able to tell the truth with as little bias as possible. To get a story wrong puts misinformation out into the public. When the...

So, when I head up to the suburbs of Atlanta to take care of my mother after her surgery, I plan on taking my sidearm with me. Granted, I'll have to check it on the plane ride, but since there's reciprocity between Georgia and Florida, concealing it while I'm there shouldn't be a problem. Unless of course, I want to go anywhere. Then, it seems, I have to be a f*cking mind reader and professional future-teller to know what is an isn't out of bounds. Here are the laws in plain English (not...

Today marks the anniversary of the saddest day in my life as well as one of the happiest. I will never forget 9/11 as the day terrorists struck at America and failed miserably in their attempt to bring us down. But today is also my oldest's birthday. And while it can be depressing to see them grow up so fast, it's still a wonderful thing to watch them grow up. I can't believe she's already gone from this to this Happy Birthday Georgia Noelle!

A thought occurred to me the other day when poking fun at the "enlightened" who think that one day, man will be a peaceful being and that there will be no more need for weapons. I don't know exactly where this goes, but indulge me for a moment. In a totally peaceful world, what would be the harm if every single person carried a gun? If they're peaceful, there would never be a use of the weapon. It would be for all intents and purposes like jewelry, non-utilitarian and for decoration. But a...

What just popped up? Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice. Not only an addictively...uh... addictive song, but also one of the most kick ass videos ever made. Is there anything that can't be made better with the addition of Christopher Walken?

Around our house, tomorrow is a day of celebration. While September 11th, 2001 was a tragic day, September 11th, 2002 saw the birth of my first child, Georgia Noelle. Tomorrow she turns 5. Man does time fly when you're an old fart. Anyway, Georgia's favorite color is pink. Pink pink pink. Everything she wants is pink, including wanting pink highlights in her hair. So the Mrs. and me said "Why not?". We're cool parents, so this Saturday Georgia got her birthday wish. Getting ready Foiled!...

Sound impossible? It's not. We can both stop the spread of AIDS (to a fairly controllable degree) and put an end to gun violence and the spread of firearms using the same logic. First, let's talk about the guns. There are too many guns in the world, we are told. To put an end to the gun violence plaguing our communities, all we need to do is restrict their sales and have people turn in their firearms. Once the guns are off the streets, gun violence (and by extension, all violence) will lower to...

I'm 100% paranoid when it comes to surfing the Interweb tubes. Not paranoid as in hiding behind anonymity as everyone knows my name, but I don't allow hardly anything to run on my browsers such as JavaScript or plug-ins. In fact, I have software that disables everything until I explicitly allow stuff from that site to work. Every here and there though, I get irritated when I read some opinion piece in a newspaper and, being a newspaper and not a blog, I can't comment. Turns out, a lot of places...

Got this alert a while agoFuture won't be kind to gun lovers Sept. 7, 2007 12:00 AM Sorry, Alan Korwin, but I am not a gun fan ("Guns vital to our freedom, but schools demonize them," Viewpoints, Sunday). I am also not a "small-minded, fearful bigot who thinks hiding what he hates will make everything just fine." Why is it every gun fanatic out there has to try to equate guns with freedom? Talk about your scare tactics. No guns, no freedom? I think not. Actually Tom, consider guns as...

One would think it was a rather simple concept The poll suggests many Canadians aren't sure about an outright handgun ban because there's a belief that criminals don't really care if handguns are legal or illegal anyway, Worden said. What? Some people believe that criminals might not follow the law yet 55% of those same people think banning guns is a good idea? What kind of fantasy land must you live in to have that even remotely make sense? "Oh, it won't work, but let's do it anyway!"

A few days ago I loaded up a few 10mm's as hot as I thought reasonable. Using Starline cases, CCI #300 large primers, 155 grain Hornady XTPs, and pushing it with 7.2gr. of TiteGroup, I whipped up 50 of the suckers and took them to the range. The Glock 29 loved them. The only word I can describe it with is OMG!!LOUDANDSNAPPYANDHOLYSHIT!!1!!MYWRISTS!! Perfectly accurate. Loud enough to make a .357 Magnum user cringe. No fireball that I could discern, but then again I was at the ass end of the...

A few days ago, mom went in for an MRI to ensure the cancer hadn't spread. The initial findings were that the cancer was small, and well isolated. Lymph nodes seemed unaffected, which is good news. The bad news is that there was something that showed up on the other breast. The initial prognosis was that it was a minor blip, possibly a swollen lymph node from a cold my mother had at the time, but further testing couldn't pinpoint its composition. So now she has to have another biopsy done to...

When you violate rule #4, bad things happen When the man, identified as Mr. Albrecht, didn't stop, the homeowner who was armed with a handgun "shot one time at the top of the door," the report said. "He was trying to shoot over his head to scare him away," but Mr. Albrecht "is rather tall," said Sgt. Larry Lewis, a homicide supervisor, estimating the musician's height to be 6-foot-5. Mr. Albrecht was shot once time in the head and died at the scene. Let's go over rule #4, shall we? Be sure of...

That I woke up with Cinderella's Nobody's Fool stuck in my head, but dear Lord, why did you have to replace it with McCartney's Man on the Run? Couldn't you have just had a semi run over me? It would have been less painful.

From the makers of the PSH alert icon comes Today's award goes to Robyn "Ring-a-ding" Ringler, who apparently was using so much time censoring the comments to her anti-gun blog that she did the Helmke shuffle and just turned them off. Wow, it must suck when you can't get enough support on a blog and have to shut down comments because everyone makes you look like an idiot. Robyn, bless her little heart, did try to soften the loss by blaming it on foul mouthed commenters. 'Cept, she never...